1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an airbag device that is mounted in a vehicle and that deploys a bag body, for example, in front of an occupant when the vehicle collides with an object.
2. Description of the Related Art
A bag body (airbag) of an airbag device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-155420 (JP-A-2004-155420) is provided with a cylindrical tube vent. The tube vent is provided in a state in which a distal end of the tube vent is located inside of the bag body. The distal end of the tube vent is retained by a clamp or the like so that even when the bag body is inflated and deployed, the state in which the tube vent is located at an inward side in the bag body is maintained. While the tube vent is retained inside the deployed bag body, the tube vent is flattened in a flat shape by the gas pressure and remains so within the bag body.
When the retention of the tube vent by the clamp in the deployed bag body discontinues, the pressure inside of the bag body causes the tube vent stretch out to an outside of the bag body, and the inner pressure of the bag body also inflates the tube vent. In this state, gas in the bag body is released to the outside of the bag body, flowing from a base end of the tube vent to the distal end thereof. This adjusts the gas pressure in the bag body.
In the construction disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-155420 (JP-A-2004-155420), as the retention of the tube vent by the clamp discontinues, the tube vent stretches out to the outside of the bag body due to the inner pressure of the bag body. If the tube vent stretches outward in the vehicle width direction, the tube vent is impeded by a pillar, a window pane or the like of the vehicle. The tube vent impeded in this manner by a pillar, a window pane or the like of the vehicle cannot sufficiently stretch, but often bends at an intermediate portion thereof. If the tube vent bends in this manner, the release of gas through the tube cannot smoothly take place.